• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.58-62
• /
• 2022

Metro subway construction is a field that requires a great deal of professional manpower. The aging of professionals has a negative impact on both productivity and health, owing to poor working environments, heavy lifting, underground work, and other factors. To address this issue, the government is progressively revising and enforcing health management law and regulation in the construction industry. Thus, the job stress and work ability of many professional subway construction workers, who are rapidly aging, are being analyzed to ensure their safety and improve their health. In this study, the Macpa stress index of Busan Metro Subway construction workers from Sasang to Hadan line was measured by using a Macpa measurement machine, and a work ability survey was conducted by using the questionnaire that was developed by the FIOH. The independent variables were age, years of service, job position, employment type, and occupation. While, the dependent variables were the Macpa stress index and work ability. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used because it was difficult to assume that the statistics of this study represented a normal distribution. The results showed that age, job position, and employment type affected Macpa stress index and revealed that as the age of the workers increased, their stress levels increased as well. Additionally, job position and employment type affected the work ability of the metro subway construction workers. In terms of job position, the technical engineers were under a lot of stress, and whereas the managers had the best work ability. The technical engineers were more stressed than the other workers because of a poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily workers were under more stress and lower work ability than others.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2013

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), focusing on its validity and reliability. Methods: The external validity was evaluated by the assessment of sampling procedures and the response rate, in order to investigate the representativeness of the sample. The content validity was evaluated by the assessment of the development of the questionnaire, and the consistency of questions for the selected construct. The test-retest method was used to evaluate the reliability by means of a phone call survey of 30% of the respondents, who were randomly selected. The respondents' satisfaction regarding the survey procedures and interview time were analyzed to evaluate the quality of survey data. Results: The external validity was assured by an acceptable sampling procedure, rigid multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling. The content validity was also guaranteed by a reasonable procedure for the development of the questionnaire with a pretest. The internal consistency of the questions for work autonomy was maintained, with 0.738 of Cronbach's alpha. The response rate of 36% was lower than that of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), with a contact rate of 66%, compared to 76% for the EWCS. The matching rates of the five retested questions were more than 98% reliable. Conclusion: The quality of the second KWCS was assured by the high external and content validity and reliability. The rigid sampling procedure and development of the questionnaire contributed to quality assurance. The high level of reliability may be guaranteed by the sophisticated field survey procedures and the development of a technical manual for interviewers. The technical strategies for a high response rate should be developed for future surveys.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.408-415
• /
• 2018

Background: Nursing home resident care is an ongoing topic of public discussion, and there is great interest in improving the quality of resident care. This study investigated the association between nursing home employees' job satisfaction and residents' satisfaction with care and medical outcomes. Methods: Employee and resident satisfaction were measured by questionnaire in 175 skilled nursing facilities in the eastern United States from 2005 to 2009. Facility-level data on residents' pressure ulcers, medically unexplained weight loss, and falls were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Long-Term Care Minimum Data Set. The association between employee satisfaction and resident satisfaction was examined with multiple and multilevel linear regression. Associations between employee satisfaction and the rates of pressure ulcers, weight loss, and falls were examined with simple and multilevel Poisson regression. Results: A 1-point increase in overall employee satisfaction was associated with an increase of 17.4 points (scale 0-100) in the satisfaction of residents and family members (p < 0.0001) and a 19% decrease in the incidence of resident falls, weight loss, and pressure ulcers combined (p < 0.0001), after adjusting for staffing ratio and percentage of resident-days paid by Medicaid. Conclusion: Job satisfaction of nursing home employees is associated with lower rates of resident injuries and higher resident satisfaction with care. A supportive work environment may help increase quality of care in the nation's nursing homes.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.487-492
• /
• 2022

Objective: The exposure levels of disease-causing bacteria and germs were assessed on aircraft cleaning workers on multiple different aircrafts. Method: Five measuring points were selected depending on the aircraft types. Four aircraft cleaning agencies were selected for the test. Aircraft cleaning work was classified as intensive cleaning and general cleaning work. Ventilation in aircraft when sampling during the cleaning operation was categorized into forced ventilation and natural ventilation. The collection of airborne microorganisms was made through inertial impactors which were installed 1.5 meters above the bottom of the aircraft. The airborne bacteria and fungus growth badges were selected by Trytpic Soy Agar and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. Results: The average concentrations of bacteria in the air were higher in the order of small, medium, and large airplanes. Rainy days had higher concentrations inside and outside the aircraft as compared to those in sunny days. Regarding ventilation, concentrations in natural ventilation were higher than concentrations in forced ventilation. According to the type of work, the concentrations in the intensive cleaning groups (cleaning one plane a day) were lower than those of the ordinary cleaning groups (cleaning several planes per day). Conclusion: The concentration levels of airborne bacteria and fungi in the aircraft surveyed were lower than the indoor environmental standards of Korea (800 cfu/m³ and 500 cfu/m³). The average concentrations of bacteria in the air and fungi in the air were highest in small aircraft owned by Company D.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.301-306
• /
• 2020

Background: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS^TM) is a screening tool used to assess an individual's ability to perform fundamental movements that are necessary to do physically active tasks. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of FMS to predict occupational injury among Denver Fire Department firefighters. Method: FMS tests were administered from 2012 to 2016. Claim status was defined as any claim occurrence vs. no claim and an overexertion vs. no claim/other claim within 1 year of the FMS. To assess associations between FMS score and claim status, FMS scores were dichotomized into ≤ 14 and > 14. Age-adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression. Sensitivities and specificities of FMS predicting claims at various FMS score cut points, ranging from 10 to 20 were tested. Results: Of 581 firefighters (mean ± SD, age 38 ± 9.8 y) who completed FMS between February 2015 and March 2018, 188 (32.4%) filed a WC claim in the study time frame. Seventy-two of those (38.3%) were categorized as overexertion claims. There was no association between FMS score and claim status [odds ratio (OR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88 - 1.83] and overexertion claim vs. no claim/other claim (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.81 - 2.21). There was no optimal cutoff for FMS in predicting a WC claim. Conclusions: Although the FMS has been predictive of injuries in other populations, among this sample of firefighters, it was not predictive of a future WC claim.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.9-14
• /
• 2015

The study is conducted in order to establish validity of industrial safety field's neo-qualification composition by suggesting reengineering procedure of NCS based industrial safety field's qualifying occupational plan. Industrial safety fields are first classified into great classification which are environment energy safety, and then into sub-classification which are industrial safety management, industrial health management, and nondestructive test. NCS based neo-qualification plan is deveopled into progress as following steps; First, planning NCS neo-qualification system. Second, presenting work education combined program certification standard. Third, developing NCS based neo-qualification assessment standard. Fourth, developing work education qualification prototype problem. The process of qualification plan was composed with Worksheet 14 and with 4phase being completing summary of each section, certification and development of assessment standard, and development of prototype problem. As a result, Industrial safety manager was redesigned into Industrial sfety manager and Construction Safety Manager, and Occupational Health Care Manager was redesigned into Occupational Health Care Manager and Industrial Health Manager. This study, in conclusion, suggests development of qualifying occupation that could be applied to the integrated management system and development of future industrial safety field's specialized neo-qualifying occupation.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.138-142
• /
• 2016

Background: Household waste collectors (HWCs) are exposed to hazardous conditions. This study investigates the patterns of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs. Methods: This study uses cases of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs that occurred between 2010 and 2011. We analyzed 325 cases of injuries and 36 cases of illnesses according to the workers' age, length of employment, size of workplace, injured part of body, day and month of injury, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results: There were significant differences in the effect of workers' length of employment, injured part of body, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results show that most injuries occur in workers in their 50s and older. This study also shows that 51.4% of injuries occur at businesses with 49 employees or fewer. Injuries to waste collectors happen most often when workers are electrocuted after slipping on the ground. The second most prevalent form of injury is falling, which usually happens when workers hang from the rear of the truck during transportation or otherwise slip and fall from the truck. Work-related illnesses amongst waste collectors are mostly musculoskeletal conditions due to damaging postures. Conclusion: These findings will be instructive in devising policies and guidelines for preventing workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.400-408
• /
• 2019

The "fourth industrial revolution" (FIR) is an age of advanced technology based on information and communication. FIR has a more powerful impact on the economy than in the past. However, the prospects for the labor environment are uncertain. The purpose of this study is to anticipate and prepare for occupational health and safety (OHS) issues. In FIR, nonstandard employment will be common. As a result, it is difficult to receive OHS services and compensation. Excessive trust in new technologies can lead to large-scale or new forms of accidents. Global business networks will cause destruction of workers' biorhythms, some cancers, overwork, and task complexity. The social disconnection because of an independent work will be a risk for worker's mental health. The union bonds will weaken, and it will be difficult to apply standardized OHS regulations to multinational enterprises. To cope with the new OHS issues, we need to establish new concepts of "decent work" and standardize regulations, which apply to enterprises in each country, develop public health as an OHS service, monitor emerging OHS events and networks among independent workers, and nurture experts who are responsible for new OHS issues.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.93-99
• /
• 2023

Background: Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and overcommitment at work have been associated poorer mental health. However, nonlinear and nonadditive effects have not been investigated previously. Methods: The association between effort, reward, and overcommitment with odds of poorer mental health was examined among a sample of 68 formal United States waste workers (87% male). Traditional, logistic regression and Bayesian Kernel machine regression (BKMR) modeling was conducted. Models controlled for age, education level, race, gender, union status, and physical health status. Results: The traditional, logistic regression found only overcommitment was significantly associated with poorer mental health (IQR increase: OR = 6.7; 95% CI: 1.7 to 25.5) when controlling for effort and reward (or ERI alone). Results from the BKMR showed that a simultaneous IQR increase in higher effort, lower reward, and higher overcommitment was associated with 6.6 (95% CI: 1.7 to 33.4) times significantly higher odds of poorer mental health. An IQR increase in overcommitment was associated with 5.6 (95% CI: 1.6 to 24.9) times significantly higher odds of poorer mental health when controlling for effort and reward. Higher effort and lower reward at work may not always be associated with poorer mental health but rather they may have an inverse, U-shaped relationship with mental health. No interaction between effort, reward, or overcommitment was observed. Conclusion: When taking into the consideration the relationship between effort, reward, and overcommitment, overcommitment may be most indicative of poorer mental health. Organizations should assess their workers' perceptions of overcommitment to target potential areas of improvement to enhance mental health outcomes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to verify the relation between the risk index using AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) and the risk index using Computing Model. For doing the objective, this research classified 22 work types in architectural construction work from the analysis Korean architectural standard specification and Korea occupational safety & health agency code. Based on the classified 22 work types in architectural construction work, the risk index of each work type was calculated by AHP and Computing Model. For verifying the correlation of risk index between AHP and Computing Model methods, SAS version 8.0 System, which is one of the statistics programs, was used.